LIGHTNING LOCATION AND STORM SEVERITY DISPLAY SYSTEM

A unique lightning location and lightning storm severity assessment display system designed and developed at The Detroit Edison Company is described. The design is driven by the need to provide a real time lightning storm severity information display for electric utility operations including; storm warning, storm tracking, storm dispatching and storm restoration resource planning. It's application results in an estimated annual savings of $250 000. The methodology for correlation equations and their accuracy developed over three years (1985-1987) of lightning storm activity are reported relating cloud-to-ground strikes from a magnetic direction finding network to important storm management factors for six independent geographic areas (operating divisions) within southeastern Michigan.